Drinking and driving is never the answer, but the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department wants you to think twice this Labor Day before driving home from the holiday festivities.
The agency is continuing its Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign throughout the holiday weekend.
Deputies and officers from the CHP and 14 other law enforcement agencies will conduct extra patrols and DUI/driver license checkpoints during Labor Day weekend, including one Friday night in Poway. resulted in two drivers arrested for DUI.
Other checkpoints scheduled this weekend:
- Aug. 31 – 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. in Encinitas, Santee
- Sept. 1 – 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. in Imperial Beach
- Sept. 2 – 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. in Santee
The nationwide crackdown started Aug. 17 and will continue through Sept. 3. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says Labor Day weekend is the second-most-deadly day of the year on our roadways. The Sheriff’s department said a report released by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office in July found 242 people were killed in car crashes in the county last year. Nearly half of those killed or 45 percent were under the influence of alcohol.
“By joining this nationwide effort, we will make the county’s roadways safer for everyone throughout the Labor Day period,” stated Sheriff Bill Gore in a press release. “If you’ve had too much to drink, don’t even think about getting behind the wheel. Driving impaired is simply not worth the risk. Remember, we will be out in force and we will be watching, so ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.’ ”
The Sheriff’s department said funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
